Improvement in self-playing attachments for key-board instruments



E. F. ONEILL. Self-Playing Attachment for Keyboard Instrunfmnts;

No. 215.155. 7 Paten ted May 6,1879.

Ml/I/l/I/l/I/IJ' INVENTOR Mvw HIM/ ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDTVARD F. ONEILL, OF STORM LAKE, IOTYA.

IMPROVEMENT iN SELF-PLAYING ATTACHMENTS FOR KEY-BOARD INSTRUMENTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 215,155, dated May 6, 1879; application tiled January 17, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD FORBES ONEILL, of Storm Lake, in the county of Buena Vista and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Attachment for Organs, Pianos, &c., of which the following is a specification.

Figure 1. is a front view of an organ to which my improvement has been applied. Fig. 2 is a detail section of the same, taken through the broken line aa .r 00, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail view of a part of the same. Fig. 4 is a detail View of agroup of false keys.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The object of this invention is to furnish an improved attachment for organs, pianos, melodeons, and other key-board instruments, by the use of which anyone, though wholly unacquainted with music, can play dance-music, and any other kind of music, sacred or secular, and which shall be simple in construction, easily applied to the instrument, and conveniently operated.

A are two bars, made of brass or other suitable material, and connected together by a rod, B. To and between the inner ends of the bars A are pivoted, or to them are attached, the ends of a bar, 0, which is designed to rest upon the key-board of the instrument, in the rear of the keys.

To the outer ends of the bars A are secured, by clampingscrews D, two short uprights, E, the lower ends of which rest upon the instrument at the forward ends of its keys, and which may be connected together bya rod, F. Several holes are formed in the uprights E to receive the screws D, so that the said uprights E may be adjusted as the height of the keys may require.

G are two bars, made of brass or other suitable material, and connected together by one or more rods, H. To the lower ends of the bars G are pivoted the ends of a roller, 1, the

journals of which project to rest in notches in the upper sides of the bars A. To the upper parts of the bars G is pivoted a roller, J.

K is the music-chart, which is made ofpaper, cloth, or other suitable material, and passes around the rollers I J. To one end of the music-chart K are attached elastic loops or straps k which are hooked upon hooks W, attached to the other end of the said chart.

Several holes are formed in the upper parts of the bars G, to receive the journals of the roller J; or two or more rollers, J, are pivoted to the upper parts of the said bars G, so that musiecharts of different lengths may be con veniently applied to the frame G H I J.

The notes of the music are represented upon the chart K by small projections 7c, of leather, rubber, or other suitable material. The long notes may be represented by long projections 70 or the projections k may all be of the same length, and the long notes formed by placing two or more of the said projections close together.

To one of the journals of the lower roller, 1, is attached a small gear-wheel, L, into the teeth of which mesh the teeth of a larger gearwheel, M, pivoted to the bar G. The gearwheel M is provided with a crank-pin orhandle, m, by means of which the device is operated.

N are false keys, placed upon the white keys, between the black keys, and pivoted or hinged at their inner ends to a strip, 0, of brass or other suitable material, which is made of such a thickness that it maybe placed in the space between the inner ends of the black keys and the inner part of the keyboard. The false keys N are made of such a length and thickness that their outer ends and upper sides may correspond with the outer ends and upper sides of the black keys.

To the upper ends of the bars Gare pivoted the ends of a loop or bail, P, the middle part of which is made straight and parallel with the frame G H I J, and is placed upon a hook, Q, attached to the top of the instrument, so that the whole device can be moved laterally upon the instrument, to adjust it to the key in which the music is to be played.

\Vhen the device is to be used the journals of the lower roller, I, are placed in one of the inner notches, c of the bars A, so that the projections k of the chart K will come into contact with and depress the black keys and the false keys, the said false keys operating the white keys, upon which they rest.

In the outer parts of the bars A are formed other notches, (L to receive the journals of the lower roller, 1, and keep the projections 76 of the chart K out of contact with the keys when itis desired to change or adjust the said chart K. With this construction an y piece of music represented upon the chart can be played byrights E, and the clamping-screws D with each other, to form a frame to support the frame that carries the music-chart, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. The combination of the bars G, the rod or rods H, the rollers I J, the bail P, the gearwheels L M, and the music-chart K, upon which the notes are represented by projections, with each other, and the frame A B C E D, substantially as herein shown and described.

EDWARD FORBES ONEILL. Witnesses: 7

(Dress. IsBELL, CHARLES W. MOORE. 

